Forum Discussion

charlienkris's avatar
charlienkris
Explorer
May 28, 2018

Best route from eastern South Dakota to Denver

We are traveling to Denver from eastern South Dakota. GPS is suggesting I-90 to 83 through Nebraska. Has anyone driven this route? If so is it good for a 39 foot motor-home towing?
  • In CO I 76 is WAY less crowded than I 25 from Cheyenne. Traffic is always heavy from Denver to Cheyenne. Western NE, Eastern CO, and Eastern WY are all pretty much the same scenery wise.
  • Nebraska is easy to travel through but mostly boring compared to Wyo and Colo.
  • Regardless of which route you pick, beware the tolls on the outer ring at Denver. You will get a bill in the mail, the amount depending on how far you go and how many axles you have.
  • to answer your question, we have used 83 from NE highway 20 down to I 80 and that was fine. then I 80 to I 25 is good and so is I 80 to I 76.
  • charlienkris wrote:
    azrving wrote:
    80 to 76 to 70 west when I go to the nw side of Denver.It says 3 hr 43 min on that route vs 5 hr 18 min on 83.

    For us that is over 900 miles vs 700 on 83.
    Thanks so much for your response.


    Where are you in South Dakota? I don't see how going down I29 to I80 is going to add 200 miles. From the intersection of I29 and I90, it's hard to find routes that differ by more than 100 miles (640-740). Until you get to I76, all roads are more or less NS or EW.

    If your GPS doesn't give enough detail, go to Google Maps. It's easy to drag the route around and try alternatives. And then examine the route in detail with the sat view and streetview.

    This country is so flat that I don't think one route makes much difference versus another, even for a big RV. As long as you stick with US# highways, or major state ones, the driving conditions will be the same.

    And **Best** is in the eye of the beholder. Do you want fast? Most Cabellas stops? Scenic (through the Black Hills). Shortest?
  • The best route is to drive over to western SD and then down through Wind Cave, Newcastle, Wyo, Laramie, Ft Collins, CO to Denver. It is longer than driving through NE.
  • azrving wrote:
    80 to 76 to 70 west when I go to the nw side of Denver.It says 3 hr 43 min on that route vs 5 hr 18 min on 83.

    For us that is over 900 miles vs 700 on 83.
    Thanks so much for your response.
  • 80 to 76 to 70 west when I go to the nw side of Denver.It says 3 hr 43 min on that route vs 5 hr 18 min on 83.